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tv   ABC World News Now  ABC  August 24, 2010 1:05am-3:00am PST

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>> "you know what? we'll do that call in the car," because i thought i had no distractions. oprah: right. isn't that so crazy? >> stupid--right. so stupid. oprah: "i thought i'd get in the car and call you because i have no distraction." >> right, "because then i might kill myself or kill somebody, but i'll make sure that i get that call and i can hear, because no one's talking to me." so stupid. oprah: yeah. and now i won't even talk to anybody who's on their phones, because-- >> yes. oprah: god forbid, somebody's in an accident, and they say, "i was talking to oprah." >> can you imagine? well, first of all-- [laughter] oprah: oh, no. >> i can't--i mean, i'm not going to risk it, either, because somebody's going to see me on the expressway and call you. oprah: yeah. >> so, not happening. oprah: no, i will turn you in if i see you. >> i'll turn you in, too. oprah: ok, good. so, be like nate. stop texting and talking on your cell while driving. and when carson comes back, we're going to get him to take the pledge. i can see you're like, "hmm." >> i was--yeah, the wheels were turning. oprah: i saw your wheels turning like-- >> but you're in new york, so you don't drive. >> i live in new york, so i call people on the subway. oprah: well, that, you can do. >> yeah. it doesn't really work because you're underground, but i still like it. [laughter] oprah: take the no phone zone pledge on oprah.com. get your friends and your family to sign
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up, too. it's a commitment to saving lives so that we don't have to continue to tell stories about the 6,000 people who were killed last year. take our no phone zone pledge. thanks. [captioning made possible by king world] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--] [ female announcer ] new pillsbury sweet moments molten brownie bowls rich fudge over a warm chocolate brownie like nothing you've ever had before ready made sweet moments in the refrigerated section ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] within every pillsbury package is the power to enrich a child's mind. collect pillsbury double box tops for education today. lling on behalf ofmarie stanford. and they can make it happen for you.
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hi, i'm doug harrison, if you're living with limited mobility, call the scooter store today. i promise, no other company will work harder to make you mobile or do more to ensure your total satisfaction. i expected they'd help me file some paperwork with medicare and my insurance. i never expected them to be so nice or work so hard to get me a power chair at no cost to me. call today and let the scooter store work for you. / if we qualify you and medicare denies your claim for a w scooter or power chair, i'll give it to you absolutely free. that's the scooter store guarantee. you don't qualify for medicare? / no problem. / we'll wo with your insurance company, even help with financing. if there's a way we'll find it. when they delivered mom's power chair, i expected they'd show her how to use it once or twice. that man stayed for hours! you can just tell they care. / whatever it takes, as long as it takes. that's our guarantee. why do we go to < uch great lengths?
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banks try to cover the bottom line. >> reporter: the new numbers show the average interest rate on credit cards now stands at 14.7%. that's the highest since 2001. how did this happen? even with these new protections? banks are charging higher rates for customers now signing up for credit. and for existing customers, they were already hiking rates before these new protections could take effect. >> higher introductory rates. higher and new fees. >> doesn't make any sense when we have these new rules that are supposed to protect us. >> reporter: his answer, he simply pointed out what the head of jpmorgan chase said himself. >> jamie diamond from chase said, if you run a restaurant and you can't charge for the soda, the burgers are going to get a lot more expensive. >> reporter: in other words, making up for lost profits elsewhere. the head of chase used that burger analogy after reporting nearly $5 billion in profits in the last quarter alone. and we wondered if the banks are making that kind of money, why do they need to raise rates at
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all? a lot of folks are looking at these numbers and saying, the banks have simply found a way around these new rules. >> no, no, the banks are responding to the new rules. >> reporter: the banking lobbyists who fight for the banks in washington told us this is not about profits. so if it's not about making money, why hike the rates? >> well, we have to cover the costs. you have to cover the operating costs. >> reporter: operating costs and delinquent accounts, they say. customers told us they've had it. charging less and paying balances more quickly. >> every time i pay in full. so they don't charge me like extra fees. >> you don't take a chance? >> i'm extra careful compared to where i was. >> paying the balance off on time? >> yep, every month in full. >> reporter: you heard the banks blame in part delinquent accounts. but in fact, the largest banks in this country have recently reported delinquent accounts are at their lowest point all year and that americans have reduced
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their credit card accounts by $131 billion in just two years. david muir, abc news, new york. >> definitely one of the good things for people with credit card charges, now it has to be a proportional late fee for wha you charge. in other words, if you owe $20 cha tha before the average was something like $39, now it's proportional. >> that some oghlie. you can opt out if th ar majo o- cunt. no one under 21 can get one unless an adult co-signs. you have longer to pay your monthly bills. it doesn't cover everything but there are e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e
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e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e
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analysts predict by the end of next year, half of all americans will be using a smartphone. that means there's always big demand for cutting-edge apps. abc news tech contributor andrea smith discovered some worthwhile apps to help out travelers. good morning. thank you as always for being here. we appreciate it. the first app you're going to talk about, kayak is a great way to keep your trips organized.
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>> it is. kayak is a great way because a lot of people use the website to build their trips and plan their trips. so now you can use it on your mobile phone. it's available on iphone, android and blackberry, which is really great because not many apps are. this is on the droid-x on the android platform. you can do the same thing as on the website, search for flights, search for hotels. basically if you're on the road and you need to change a plan, you still can have that same great information that kayak gives you mobile. >> and keeps it very convenient, very easy, one touch and you're there. >> exactly. >> this next one is trip-it. >> this is like the granddaddy of trip management. people who travel a lot love this because basically what happens is when you plan a trip, they send confirmation numbers. you e-mail them to trip-it and it parses all that information and puts it into one cohesive form where you can bring it up on your mobile phone. again, this is for all three platforms.
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right here, i have no trips. i'm not going anywhere. if you had trips it would tell you so on the road you could check that. >> it organizes your trips for you, which is a great way. whether you booked it at whatever site, you can all kind of go through that. >> exactly. >> this is cool, gate guru. >> when you get there and you've got some time to kill in the airport, go to gate guru. so you just put in the airport that you're at, and whatever terminal or if you think you're going to be stopping over there, and if you need to shop, pick up a gift for somebody, or if you're looking for a particular restaurant, all you do is plug it in here and search and it gives you a listing of everything that's going to be at that gate when you arrive. >> no matter what concourse you're at, you know where to shop, where to eat, all that good stuff. >> exactly. >> makes the layover easier, that's for sure. this next app is great for folks who have trouble getting around, just like me, keeping yourself straight. >> exactly. this is tom tom for your iphone.
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what i love about this is, it's $39.99. it's a paid app. the ones we spoke about previously were free. what i love is you don't need a separate gps unit in your car. this will go right on your iphone and it will run in the background so you can still use your phone, accept calls, and do everything else that you need to do while it's running and it will speak voice navigation to you as you're driving. >> turns your iphone into a full-fledged gps. >> everything that tom tom does. >> this next app is wond for those of us who have lost your car in a parking garage or at the mal >> you forget wh you your car someti there'ssome ale finder and it's great. you hold it up to the phone and it takes your gps picture and it says, i'm parked here. and it asks you if you're at a meter. if you're at a meter you can tell it how long and it will remind you when to go and feed the meter. >> avoid those tickets. >> avoid those tickets. when you're done you save it. when you want to go back it
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leads you right back to y >> we all coulduse one and f a lot of folks taad this is a perfect way to k thebusyhose ca >> ab they're games that you can play i know a lot of parents over that iphone to their kids. this is road trip bingo it's got music that plays along that you can turn on or off if it's driving you nuts. basically what happens is your child has to hit the things that they see along the road. whether it's a street sign or a car or a horse. once they fill in all of them, it's bingo. then they shake it and they get a new form to come up here. >> there are lots of games like this built for road trips? >> there are. this is a 99 cent app for iphone only. the thing is there's so many of them. they're very affordabl they're 99 cents. there's so male w making these little games that you can just try out. there's so many appsher that are really worth g >> okay, mom peace and quiet in the car
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>> exactly. thaeg hwe >> th >> you can get ailshes ourook wnnfans.com.
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finally this half hour, going back to school in style. by the looks of a brand new school in southern california, you'd never know the state was going through an economic crisis. >> get this, the new school cost $578 million. it's the most expensive public school ever. david wright reports. >> reporter: the robert f. kennedy community school boasts an ornate auditorium, fine art murals, and a faculty dining room that the superintendent says is better than most restaurants. cost of construction, $250,000 per pupil.
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more expensive than the birds nest stadium built for last summer's olympics in beijing. it is the most expensive public school ever built in this country. price tag, $578 million. but some say it's a luxury the los angeles school district cannot afford. >> welcome to the alice in wonderland world of education politics in los angeles. where up is down, down is up, and none of these decisions have anything to do with kids. >> reporter: the district has a $640 million budget shortfall. they've laid off 3,000 teachers. l.a. unified is one of the lowest-performing school districts in america. >> so why not take the money that was spent there and spend it on education? >> illegal. illegal. >> reporter: district officials say the money for school construction comes from voter-approved bonds. totally separate from what's budgeted for textbooks and teachers. >> i sense that you are a little embarrassed about the price tag of this thing. >> yes. it bothers me. >> reporter: l.a.'s not alone.
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in new york city, a $235 million school. in new brunswick, new jersey, $185 million for a high school. and newton, massachusetts, has a new $197 million high school. >> whether you build a taj mahal or whether you're teaching kids in a broom closet, make sure that you have a kids-first agenda. >> reporter: the site of l.a.'s new school has historic significance. it's the site of the old ambassador hotel where robert kennedy was shot. future generations may appreciate the school, now built there in his name. but the taxpayers now are finding it tough to justify. david wright, abc news, los angeles. >> adding to the price tag of this school, the fine art murals, the marble memorial, they have a manicured public park, state of the art swimming pool, and preservation of certain pieces of the original hotel there as well. >> in terms of who it serves the website says it's k-12, 4,200 students. it's latino students and students from low-income
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fdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdfd rough rescue. the challenge to free dozens of stuck miners. >> these men survived, and they're going to be able to survive. >> the ambitious and time-consuming plan. then, background check. the man who wants to head the islamic center near ground zero. who's reviewing his every word? and, 18 years ago a powerful storm leveled parts of south florida. unforgettable hurricane andrew. >> it was really scary. >> it's tuesday, august 24th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> even though it's been fairly quiet this year we're still pretty much in the heart of hurricane season. august and september tend to be very rough months especially along the gulf coast.
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hopefully it will stay quiet to november the 30th when storm season ends. >> it's always nerve-racking when those letters start to pour out. since they're always named alphabetically, as you hear more and more of those letters. it's been a rough season. >> be quiet, please. good morning, everyone, i'm rob nelson. >> i'm vinita nair. the miners trapped deep underground in chile are getting much-needed nourishment, water and oxygen. they've sent met messages to their waiting loved ones. >> doctors are starting to look at the mental challenges while the men wait for months to finally get out. jeffrey kofman reports now from chile. >> reporter: this video, taken by an underground probe, confirmed the news. all 33 men are alive. you can see one of them here. you can see one of them here. the men had journeyed down seven miles of zig-zagging tunnels when a section of the copper mine collapsed. after two weeks and seven failed attempts, rescuers drilled a six-inch-wide hole 2,258 feet down. when they heard banging they
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sent down a tiny camera. when it came back to the surface there was a note from the eldest of the miners, 63-year-old mario gomez. "i want to tell everyone that i'm good," he wrote to his wife, "and we'll surely come out okay." the news was met with euphoria by anxious families and an anxious nation. "we are happy," says caterina, whose brother is trapped underground. "this is what we've been waiting 17 days to hear." the 33 men are surviving under grueling conditions in a 600 square foot refuge about the size of a hotel room. the temperature, 95 degrees. the humidity, 95%. they have some electricity from a truck engine for light. they used a backhoe to dig into the dirt floor of the mine to find drinking water. >> people may say this is not successful because these men are trapped. i say this is incredibly successful because these men survived and they're going to be able to survive. >> reporter: down the six-inch shaft, rescuers are now lowering
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salt water, gel tablets and medicine to help nurse the men back from the brink of starvation. it's believed they have been living off a 48-hour supply of food. to rescue the trapped men they will dig a wider, 27-inch bore hole. the men will be raised up one at a time. but two are reportedly obese and it's not clear how they will fit. all this could take a month but it may take until christmas. we know the men have enough air to breathe. we know they have enough food to eat. what is not clear is whether they know how long it will take to rescue them. jeffrey kofman, abc news, santiago. tiger woods and his swedish wife elin nordegren are officially divorced. it happened during a ten-minute hearing in a florida courtroom yesterday. the pair issued a statement saying they both were sad but wished each other well. the marriage unraveled, of course, after tiger's thanksgiving car accident and revelations about his numerous affairs. while exact details of the
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settlement are kept private, the couple has agreed to share parenting of their two kids. the new trial for former illinois governor rod blagojevich will not take place until january. according to the "chicago tribune." the paper also reports that he will get two court-appointed lawyers. blagojevich emptied a nearly $3 million campaign fund to pay for the first trial. jurors convicted him of lying to the fbi but could not decide on 23 other charges. the prosecutors will try again. new york governor david paterson and archbishop timothy dolan will meet today about plans to build that islamic center near ground zero. both have offered to help find an alternate site. sharyn alfonsi reports on the imam who would lead the project. >> reporter: he candidly discussed his beliefs with barbara walters for her 2006 special "on heaven." >> do only muslims go to heaven? >> the fundamental thing is you must accept god. you have to believe there is a creator. the jews, the christians, whoever believes in god and does good will be saved.
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>> reporter: rauf, who watched his father, a muslim scholar, pioneer interface dialogue in the '60s in new york, went on to do the same things after the september 11th attacks. rauf was the imam or head priest of a new york mosque 12 blocks from ground zero. do you believe that a suicide bomber goes to heaven? >> one of the things that we are taught is never to say somebody will go to hell or somebody will go to heaven. it is up to god to decide. >> so one man's suicide bomber is another man's martyr. >> the expression i've heard is one man's terrorist is another man's hero. >> reporter: in his book the imam wrote, "the truth is that killing innocent people is always wrong, and no argument or excuse no matter how deeply believed can ever make it right." he's been praised for being moderate. but it was this interview with cbs' "60 minutes" after the september 11th attacks that has drawn scrutiny. >> i wouldn't say that united states deserved what happened. but united states policies were an accessory to the crime that happened.
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>> reporter: and while all the imam's speeches and writings are now being looked over word by word, one is often overlooked. the imam eulogized daniel pearl at his funeral, asking forgiveness for what's been done in the name of islam. sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. former president jimmy carter travels to north korea today on a humanitarian mission. mr. carter is expected to negotiate the freedom of an american who was arrested in north korea back in january. that man was sentenced to eight years for illegally entering the country. he is expected to leave north korea with the former president on thursday. pakistan's president says it will take three years or more to recover from the devastating floods there. and he warns that islamic militants could exploit the crisis. but for the millions of people who have lost everything in that country, each day another battle. lama hasan has the story. >> reporter: this was a village. only the tops of a few houses and a mosque now poke above the waters. three weeks since floodwaters
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ravaged the north of this country some here in the south have only just begun to feel the effects. we joined pakistan's marines as they mobilized their response here. taking to the waters to evacuate the people. the floodwaters keep surging down south and the water levels keep rising. five days ago these men sent their wives and children to higher ground for safety. they found themselves in danger. they stayed to protect what's left of their homes, their crops and cattle. but the floodwaters were simply too strong. they were forced to leave. nearby, we saw residents and local engineers scramble to rebuild levees. it's a battle to survive even in camps like this one. but it's somewhere to sleep and get something to eat. in other parts of the south the navy cannot reach the people to evacuate them. they are dropping aid and food. in so many parts of this country, there still isn't
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enough help to go around. lama hasan, abc news, pakistan. here's a look at your weather around the country. cooler than usual in the northeast with light rain from boston to the carolinas. thunderstorms across much of florida. showers in oklahoma city, des moines, minneapolis, and chicago. more rain in new mexico, colorado, and eastern arizona. >> triple digits in sacramento and phoenix. 80s from albuquerque to boise. indianapolis 84. kansas city 81. dallas 99. it's 72 here in new york. and 70 in boston. you might say it was a match made in heaven. a houston couple that seemed destined to be together from day one. >> matt johnson and samantha green were born on the same day, the same year, at the same hospital. they were even delivered by the same doctor. they met 15 years later while attending the same high school. >> oh, wow. matt and samantha are now 23 years old. they now have one more thing in common, their wedding date.
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the couple just got married over the weekend. congrats to them. >> hopefully they're not twins separated at birth. we'll be back with more "world news now."
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hurricane danielle has formed far off the atlantic coast but it is not expected to make landfall. >> 18 years ago, though, hurricane andrew did make landfall. it absolutely blasted south florida and was the third most powerful cat 5 storm in american history. from the "abc news vault," coverage from august 24th, 1992. >> reporter: a force of nature. erratic. deadly. and florida was just the beginning. >> it was really scary. i wouldn't do it again. never, ever again.
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lock the door, don't even board it up, just walk out. >> reporter: tonight, we visit the scenes of destruction left by hurricane andrew. >> this is abc news "nightline." substituting for ted koppel and reporting from washington, sam donaldson. >> so how bad was it in south florida when the hurricane swept over the region earlier today? we don't know yet. the digging out is still under way. but there are some things that we do know. packing winds of over 160 miles an hour, the hurricane smashed ashore, pushing a tidal wave before it 12 feet high. trees were uprooted, houses and vehicles smashed, homestead air force base was all but destroyed, electricity was disrupted for over 1.3 million people, and at least nine people in the united states were killed. that death toll is expected to climb. here are some stories about the
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hurricane's fury from people who lived through it. >> good evening, south florida. we have survived. it's been the toughest night of most of our lives. >> you're leaning up against a wall in the closet and you can feel it shaking and you really feel like this is it. but we made it. so that's good, you know? but it was really -- it was really scary. i wouldn't do it again. never, ever again. lock the door, don't even board it up, and just walk out. >> lived here 28 years. it's gone. >> the house started to shake real hard and the rain, you could hear the rain coming in. and i really didn't think much about it until -- you know, it started to get daylight out and i could see through here there was a lot of light. and i opened up that door. i guess around 6:30. that's when i realized how lucky we really were. >> at least i thank god that we're fine, you know? >> the roof has -- the whole ceiling has come in.
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the noise was unbelievable. i thought we were dead. i didn't think we'd ever survive. >> horrible. i've never seen anything like this. the roofs just flew right off, the people were screaming. there was nine people in a little closet, hall closet. >> my daughter said, the ceiling is going to fall. it missed us by this much. so i'm glad to be alive. it was dreadful. whew. >> lost everything. almost lost my life. >> reporter: they are using words like war zone, nuclear bomb, and devastation to describe some of the scenes in the miami area. >> i saw it driving through. i saw houses were torn apart. just areas devastated, torn apart. >> the eye of the storm hit. and the building basically came apart. it was not a pretty sight. it was pretty terrifying.
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>> the building was actually shaking. the ceiling tiles in the store were actually going up and down from the pressure. and the building, the skylights, broke apart. and basically, the store filled with water. >> we have had some incidents of looting. we've made 17 arrests in the city. there are some guardsmen here. we're expecting more. and we're using them to supplement the police officers. they'll be manning perimeters and also being on the lookout for people violating the curfew. the officers are out there answering calls for service. >> i think we're just trying to get over the shock, basically what we're doing. we're just getting over the shock. i think we're all supporting each other because we're all in the same boat. >> andrew was the second most expensive hurricane ever. katrina was the first. and believe it or not, this sunday the 29th will be five years since hurricane katrina struck the gulf coast.
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it's hard to believe. again, people need to -- coming from that area, it was not a natural disaster, it was a manmade, civil engineering disaster. it's an important distinction for those of us who lived there and lived through that storm. >> it is hard to believe it's five years to say the least. >> goes by so fast. coming up next, frightening words from fantasia after her suicide attempt. >> and lady gaga's digital milestone next in "the skinny."
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on a somewhat sad note. we reported in the last couple of weeks, fantasia from "american idol" fame, tried to commit suicide by overdosing on pills a few weeks back, allegedly because she was having
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a relationship with a married man, the relationship kind of became public, the wife is now suing her and all this stuff. she tried to take her own life. tonight at 9:00 p.m. on vh1, "behind the music," a special is going to premiere where she is very open and talks about the situation that led her to take such a drastic step. take a listen. >> you can't accidentally take a whole bottle of pills. i was tired of people doing me wrong. constantly, over and over and over again. dealing with my family, dealing with my father, dealing with men and their bull [ bleep ]. i was tired. my head was hurting me. i was over it. so yeah, i knew exactly what i was doing. >> very talented girl. sad to see this tragic twist in her life. she's come clean about what led up to it, being very open in giving an interview, tonight at 9:00 on vh1. going to kind of get the full version of what happened to her. she made it, obviously is going to hopefully bounce back. >> our producer is telling us
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she will be on "gma" later this morning talking about the ordeal. just so sad when you see an artist whose personal life becomes more of the story than their work. she has such a great voice. >> she can sing. hopefully she'll bounce back. >> very sad story. >> we have lighter news too. >> we're talking about lady gaga. that means it has to be something light. take a listen as she thanks some particular fans of hers. >> this is lady gaga. queen of twitter. i wanted to thank all my beautiful little monsters for following me. may you always have soft cuticles while tweeting. may you never have carpal tunnel. >> gaga, she's so normal, she's just like one of us. >> you can just imagine yourself having the same conversation. she's doing a spoof of glenda the good witch. this was shot backstage during her "monster ball" tour in tacoma, washington. and as you could see there, she is now the twitter queen. 5.7 million followers, finally surpassing the previous queen who is not me, it was britney
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spears. >> i'm shocked. >> yeah, i know. >> twitter, man. how many she have again? >> 5.7 million followers. a lot of people want to hear what she has to say. >> ga-ga over gaga. congrats to her. i know we talk about these guys a lot. i've got to go back to "the jersey shore" just for a minute here. the situation. he's blowing up now. if there ever was a case study in what celebrity means in america right now, this guy is it. check this out. not only is he going to be on "dancing with the stars," he's going to be on that show, he can make $5 million by the end of this year. not only does he get $60,000 an episode for the third season of "the jersey shore," public appearances, a clothing line, a fitness video. he's also writing his autobiography called "here's the situation." 29 years old, $5 million this year. that is the status of american celebrity. the situation, making more money than all of us.
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here are some stories to watch today on abc news. the pentagon releases new recommendations today on protecting the mental health of military men and women. new suicide prevention guidelines will be issued after a task force study. former usda official shirley sherrod meets today with agriculture tom vilsack. she says she has been offered a new job. sherrod was forced to resign last month after a blogger claimed she made racist comments during a speech. a federal panel's investigation into the deepwater oil rig explosion continues today in houston and should wrap up by friday. finally this half hour, have you ever looked at a piece of art and thought, any kid could do that? well, a british artist would take that actually as a compliment. >> after all, he is not even 10 years old. but his work is already being
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compared to some of the greats. nick watt reports. >> reporter: serene watercolors. moody oil paintings. poised pastels. buyers waited in line for days. they flocked from all over the world. even from arizona. >> i definitely would make the trip again. >> reporter: all 33 works sold in just a half hour, for up to $10,000 a pop. total sale, $235,000. and here's the pint-sized picasso. the mini monet. he's been painting since he was 5. >> i start off with the sky. then the background. then the foreground -- then the midground, then the foreground. >> when you're looking at comparisons to picasso, and you know, you look at what picasso achieved, then there's no reason why, if kieron chooses to do so, he can't achieve the same thing. >> but we're getting ahead of ourselves here. he's 8. >> reporter: our critic says
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it's too early to say if he's the real deal. >> it vaguely looks like what it's supposed to be. the birds are perfunctory. he's done rather well with this. he's remarkable but he's not producing what other 8 year olds produce, that's amazing. >> reporter: what's more, kieron has what every modern artist from warhol to koonz needs to succeed. hype and exposure. >> he's with us now. >> reporter: tv time. >> he's drawing something for us now. >> is it boats that you particularly like drawing? >> yeah. >> reporter: if the hype dies down, no matter. kieron says when he grows up, he really wants to be a professional soccer player. nick watt, abc news, london. >> forget the lemonade stand, go make some art, kids. man. >> he is so talented. they say he started off with something like dinosaurs, they realized there was a slight t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t
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t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t
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t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t pipipipipipipipipipipipipipipipipipipipipipipipipipipipipino ! roa a
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steep settlement. how much tiger woods may have to pay now that his divorce is final. then, theme park punishment. seaworld's strict fine after a whale trainer's shocking death. and, talking trend. new studies out this morning reveal america's cellular obsession. it's tuesday, august 24th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> uh-huh, yes. extra cheese, yeah. large. about 20 minutes? >> you're calling in your order? >> yeah. i'm hungry, man. you've got to keep things moving around here. >> as you call in your order for taco bell we'll get on to the news. good morning and thanks for being with us. i'm vinita nair.
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>> and i'm rob nelson. the famous marriage of tiger woods and elin nordegren is officially history. >> their domestic drama has played out in public for the past nine months. but in just ten minutes, the split became permanent. t.j. winick has details of the divorce. good morning, t.j. >> reporter: good morning, rob and vinita. reports of the settlement vary greatly. one has tiger's ex getting $750 million. if so, that would be the largest celebrity divorce settlement ever. after months of speculation, tiger woods is officially divorced. a joint statement released by he and now ex-wife elin nordegren woods reads, we're sad our marriage is over and wish each other the very best for the future. the divorce i was filed monday at bay county circuit court in panama city, florida. while the settlement has not been made public, elin, who is 30, could reportedly receive anywhere from $100 million to seven times that. the couple will share custody of their two children, 3-year-old
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alexis and 19-month-old charlie. >> i have a neighbor, he hit the tree. we came out just to see what was going on. i see him and he's laying down. >> reporter: the life of the world's number one golfer began to unravel just after last thanksgiving, when this car accident outside the family home led to reports woods had been carrying on several extramarital affairs. more than a dozen women subsequently came forward to claim relations with the 34-year-old superstar. >> i was unfaithful. i had affairs. i cheated. what i did is not acceptable. >> reporter: the scandal cost woods millions of dollars in corporate endorsements and forced him to take five months way from the game, including two months in sex therapy in mississippi clinic. since returning to the tour, tiger woods hasn't regained the form that made him the greatest golfer in the world, including his worst finish ever as a pro two weeks ago at the bridgestone invitational. possibly complicating that joint custody agreement, there are reports that elin may be moving
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back to her native sweden in the upcoming months. rob and vinita? a former marine has been sentenced to life in prison for killing another marine who had accused him of rape. prosecutors say cesar laurean killed maria lauterbach. they claimed laurean feared his areer would end if the affair was made public. lauterbach's charred remains were discovered a month after she disappeared in 2007. laurean's lawyers say they will appeal. former illinois governor rod blagojevich will likely face retrial in january, according to the "chicago tribune." blagojevich will be represented by two court-appointed lawyers. the newspaper says because he ran out of money. jurors convicted blagojevich of lying to the fbi but they could not decide on the other 23 charges. so prosecutors plan to try again. federal investigators say they don't know why so many people got sick with salmonella after eating eggs but they do know for sure where those eggs came from. chris bury reports now from iowa. >> reporter: the fda now says
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the salmonella outbreak appears limited to these two farms in iowa. more than 500 million tainted eggs. like crime scene investigators, health detectives tracked one initial outbreak from custard tarts at a high school prom in northern california. other clues from a graduation party and a caterer in los angeles. they all pointed to iowa. >> and one situation, we had three individuals who became ill who all had been at the same catered breakfast and all had omelettes. and we traced it back to this wright county eggs in iowa. >> reporter: 20 fda investigators are now combing these henhouses where the eggs are laid. all associated with egg baron jack decoster. one of the top ten producers in the nation. the decoster empire has a troubled history of health, safety and immigration violations. the iowa supreme court calling it a repeat violator. but new federal rules requiring more testing in the henhouse may prevent similar outbreaks. salmonella is dangerous, causing diarrhea, nausea and fever.
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it can be spread easily along the production chain, making it difficult to track. >> they send inspectors out to try to find the contaminated food. that can often take days, weeks or even months. >> reporter: already nearly 2,000 people have fallen ill. a lawsuit was filed on behalf of an 11-year-old california girl. >> she was hospitalized for a period of three or four days and incurred significant, significant in the tens of thousands of dollars, in medical expenses. >> reporter: federal officials said no new disease clusters had been identified and no more recalls are expected. meaning the worst may be over. chris bury, abc news, galt, iowa. doctors are trying to prepare 33 chilean miners for a long ordeal underground. nourishment, water and oxygen have been sent down to the survivors. they've also had a chance to send messages to their loved ones. special machines are now on the way to the mine in central chile. they will be used to dig a hole
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big enough to bring the men to the surface. police in ohio have released dramatic video of a pursuit and a crash and it's incredible to believe a 19-year-old driver actually survived. police say the driver was going 100 miles an hour when his car literally went airborne and then slammed into a freeway overpass. the explosive force literally split the car into three pieces. the driver was ejected. the driver is now in critical condition. six months after a trainer was killed by a whale, seaworld now faces a steep fine. the government says the orlando theme park did not do enough to protect workers. yunji de nies reports. >> reporter: this is dawn brancheau, playfully feeding tilikum. moments later the six-ton killer whale would grab the trainer's ponytail, dragging her to her death before a crowd of horrified tourists. it took a team of trainers to coax the whale onto a platform so they could lift the animal out of the water and free brancheau from his jaws. at the time, other trainers said brancheau would be the first to
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say she was to blame and the company defended the whale. >> this is a -- really a -- a wonderful animal. >> reporter: in a scathing report, osha said seaworld should have known better. citing tilikum's violent past, including the death of another trainer in 1991 at a park in canada. the agency said seaworld had an extensive history of potentially dangerous incidents at its various facilities. and yet it required employees to work on ledges and shelves, subject to dangerous behavior of animals. the finding came with the maximum fine of $70,000. two other unrelated safety violations added $5,000 to the penalty. the report echoes allegations made by the park's former director of health and safety. she says seaworld did not do enough to protect its trainers and that others are still at risk. >> i think that if they're put into that close proximity it could easily happen again. >> reporter: seaworld says
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they'll fight the fine and that osha does not understand the safety requirements of handling these animals. yunji de nies, abc news, washington. in washington state, a family's camping nightmare is now over. 8-year-old paige wilson is home this morning after spending two days and nights alone in the forest. she wandered away from her cousin's campsite friday night. paige survived without food, water or warm clothing in a forest full of wild animals. a family friend found her walking along a road sunday morning, what a lucky little girl. here is a look at your tuesday forecast. showers in much of the upper midwest and southern plains. wet in oklahoma city, des moines, and chicago. more thunderstorms in the four corners region of the southwest. showers along much of the east coast and temperatures dipping from boston to washington. >> just 70s in the northeast. 90s from miami to dallas. detroit, kansas city, and fargo hover around 80. it's 81 in seattle, 91 in portland, and 86 in salt lake city.
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we have a new beauty queen to tell you about this morning. she is really beautiful. she is reigning across the globe this morning. there she is. >> mexico's jimena navarette was crowned miss universe 2010 in vegas last night. the first runner-up was miss jamaica. the 22-year-old has been modeling since the age of 15. she'll spend the year focusing on the struggles of people who are facing hiv as well as breast cancer. >> miss universe will not have to worry about her wardrobe. among her many prizes, a year's supply of shoes and dresses. she is certainly stunning. she is mexico's second and actually from guadalajara. it was really nice, because in interviews after she said, thank you to my family. there's been a lot of sacrifice to get me up here on the stage. that made me like her. >> that's a nice thank you. >> she needs to learn how to cry, though. >> call me. we'll be back.
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welcome back, everybody. in a report that tracks media consumption, we're now getting a new detailed look at how americans use their cell phones. >> this report just out this morning breaks down all the talking and texting. our business editor dan arnall has details. good morning, dan. >> reporter: good morning, vinita and rob. 15 years ago, only one in ten americans had a cell phone. today, the world has changed. >> pretty much everybody has a cell phone these days. we're almost at the point where the full population is carrying a mobile phone. >> reporter: just because almost everyone has one doesn't mean we all use them the same way. new data from the nielsen company shows that your age or zip code terms whether you're a talker, texter, or don't use the cell phone at all. >> southern states are significantly more talkative and textier than other states in the u.s. >> reporter: gulf coast states rack up more than 800 minutes of
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cell phone chatting per month on average. iowa and wyoming's wide-open spaces mean fewer voice minutes. less than 600 a month or average. when it comes to texting, it's not geography but age that's most important. >> no surprise to anybody who has teenagers at home, texting is extremely popular with that age group. >> reporter: teens average 2,700 texts a month. that's eight texts per waking hour. if you're over 65, the ping of a new sms message probably isn't all that familiar. senior citizens according to nielsen's data get just 30 texts a month. coming up next, help for -- no, i wanted to say something first. interesting stat here. i zoned out for a second, sorry. 173 million text messages in 2000. what do you think that number is right now? >> i couldn't even venture a guess. >> 1.6 trillion text messages. isn't that incredible?
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>> the funny thing is if you ask people, there's such a debate going on about text messages. is it rude? is it something you do when you don't actually want to talk to someone? i hope the answer's no because i text my parents all the time. sorry, mom and dad. >> back with more after this. welcome back to "world news
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welcome back to "world news now." it is that time of year again. kids across the country are ready to hit the books. that means hitting stores first. classes are already getting under way in some places, but it is not too late for all you parents out there to pick up some of this year's hot back to school essentials. joining me this morning is macy's fashion director. a lot of great looks. you are telling me there are quintessential pieces for this summer. it's plaid, it's utilitarian,
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getting some good pieces. absolutely. i think taking a lot of these pieces and working them back into your wardrobe, things like skinny jeans or leggings. there's so many great pieces that can be layered over that and really make it your own. >> you're never too young to be a part of fashion. >> absolutely not. let's start with your first model. >> start early, start late. >> this is starting early. 4-year-old sidney looks just absolutely adorable. >> she's very cute. i think this dress is such a great cute way to start off back to school. it has a lot of great little girlie details and the stone detailing in front. great little tutu at the skirt. layering it up with a fantastic leather jacket and leggings just to make it fall-like. >> the price points for everything we're seeing, inning including what sidney's got on, everything's really friendly. >> everything's really friendly and accessible. you can pick and choose what items you want to work back to
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your existing wardrobe. >> i love those mary janes. we love sidney. thank you, you can go ahead and walk off for us. let's bring out our next model. this is ian who is 12 years old. he's one of our writer's kids. he's got on i think the quintessential boy look. >> this is very boyish, very fall, and it's true back to school. it's plaid, skinny jeans, denim. it's such a great look. i think, that you know, skinny jeans are something that we've definitely seen going forward. a lot of great washes like this done in gray. denim jacket. it's such a fantastic layering element and high top shoes. high tops a retro throwback. something that can be worn with anything. >> i've never seen lacoste high tops either. is this new for them? >> this is something they're venturing io. everydy'stng gh tops now. such a trend. something definitely to get into. >> ian, thank you so much, that outfit looks awesome. let's bring in athena now, she's 12 years old. i think of all the outfits we
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have today this is sort of the coolest gossip girl, edgy look we have. >> this is from material girl, exclusively at macy's. it's really fresh, it's really forward and it's this whole idea of boy meets girl, tough and tender. the idea of plaid, pairing it back to a skirt, a cute little . don't like biker shorts, you could do this with leggings. >> you can take so many of these items and wear them on their own. i think it's so versatile. and again, it's really price-friendly. >> everything here, nothing that she has on is more than $100 which is fantastic for any parent. >> which is really great. >> let's bring out megan, she is 15 years old. this is like the look an adult would want. school girls is they can definitely carry out more forward, more adult looks like the ovot, something that can- f e w nim military-like dressing, yot i aketh butetai >> you with anything.
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you can take the jacket off and put it with jeans, skinny jeans. >> or plaid, the dress can be worn with a great denim jacket. there's so many ways to wear these items. last or not least, or i should say last and least, is jack one of our writers who decided he had to be a parof , ou 30-smet younger man. >> he could easily be making his way back to campus. so this g an now, o herejone slim, very body-conscious. it just keeps -- it's keeping things long and lean. >> i love the outfit, i love those shoes at $20, i want a pair. as a girl i want them. >> absolutely. easy slip-on canvas shoe. >> really fantastic ideas for all those parents out there. we want to thank you for coming. if you want to find out more details logon to our facebook fan page. "world news now" delivers
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"world news now" delivers your "morning papers." >> for all you parents out there who are looking for a good way to punish your children, i have to say this takes the cake in my book. i think this is really, really clever and really, really funny. >> creative punishment. >> it really is. a father didn't want to do the boring grounding, he didn't want to do the boring no tv. so what he did is, his 16-year-old daughter, he took out an ad. she violated her curfew and her ad read, my name is kristin and i'm 16 years old, i'm in big trouble for missing my curfew. my parents are making me provide 30 hours of free babysitting for punishment. my pain, your gain. >> that's brilliant. >> isn't it? i think she probably will never
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miss curfew again. >> 30 hours. that works better than the lock in your room. >> instead of prison sentence you have community service. community service, watching someone's children. smart. >> i'm sure that will go quickly in tough times. are you a fan of baked potatoes? >> i am. >> me too. apparently -- this is something cool coming from the uk this morning. apparently if you torture potatoes they are healthier for you. this guy has literally invented a torture device for baked potatoes where he will literally send ultrasonic sound waves, electric shocks into the potato. it's believed it make it healthier for you because it doubles the production of antioxidants which fights heart disease, cancer and according to some studies, cut the risk of diabetes. if you literally shock the tater it becomes better for you. >> what happens after i shock it if i then cut it up and fry it and put some salt on it? >> just a little bit.
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just shock it, have a potato. don't fry it up. >> always interesting stories out of uk. >> always, man. >> this one actually is really cool. you know manholes, i think the term for -- sewer covers, manholes, same thing? i know it sounds bad. >> i didn't know where you were going. >> in japan they're making them really cool works of art. take a look at that. they say they just really realized that they could be something that could be canvases for hundreds of beautiful, vibrant works of art. so a photographer went through and captured all of these in a new book called "drain spotting." there's also an accompanying ipad app, because everything has an ipad app these days. i think that's just beautiful. >> i like when cities do that, invest in public art, put up pretty cool things around the city. that would be nice rather than a ratty old manhole. >> so much nicer than spit and everything else you see, and gum, on the ones here in new york. wcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwcwc
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verdict. the man accused of killing a fellow marine who was pregnant. >> this case has been a tragedy from beginning to end. >> the jury's decision and the judge's comments. then, credit card crunch. unpleasant surprises for customers as banks react to new rules. and, costly campus. the new swanky school in l.a. and its shocking price tag. it's tuesday, august 24th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> you know, they say that the cafeteria there, the food is supposed to be better than a restaurant. and i feel like you are missing out on the entire experience if the food is good. >> oh, man. i remember taco day in high
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school. meatloaf. good memories there. >> basket day is what we had. >> did you really? >> yeah. >> yummy. >> big old tortilla. i'm starting to drool already. good morning and thanks for being with us on this tuesday. i'm vinita nair. >> i'm rob nelson. it was a shocking crime. a marine accused of murdering a colleague who had accused him of rape. >> now cesar laurean faces life in prison after a guilty verdict. steven portnoy has the details. >> reporter: it took jurors a mere three hours to find former marine caesar laurean guilty of first degree murder in the 2007 death of his pregnant colleague, lance corporal maria lauterbach. >> it is the judgment of the court the defendant be confined in the custody of the north carolina department of corrections for the remainder of his natural life. upon a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. >> reporter: lauterbach was nearly eight months along when laurean, who feared his military career would be destroyed by a relationship with a subordinate,
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lured her to his home, promising to look at baby clothes. he confronted her, hit her on the head with a crowbar, then buried her remains in a fire pit in his backyard. forensic experts said that blood found throughout laurean's garage, and on a crowbar he gave to a marine buddy, was lauterbach's. after her death, laurean concocted a ruse. to make it appear as though she was still alive. moving her car around jacksonville and trying to use her bank card. he eventually fled his home and was on the run until police arrested him months later in mexico. defense attorneys tried to paint lauterbach has a troubled, distraught young woman. but the judge limited testimony about her credibility. jurors never heard from the defendant, nor his wife. >> this case has been a tragedy from beginning to end. >> reporter: the dna tests eventually proved that laurean was not the father of lauterbach's unborn child. >> maria will always be my hero. >> reporter: steven portnoy, abc news. tiger woods is officially single again.
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his marriage to elin nordegren was dissolved yesterday in a florida courtroom. the divorce comes nine months after woods' car accident on thanksgiving night. of course, that incident set off shocking revelations that woods had multiple affairs. the couple will share parenting of their two kids. the chilean miners trapped deep underground are now getting food, water and oxygen. they've also been asking for toothbrushes. >> rescuers also sent down medicine as well as microphones so the survivors can talk to their families. t.j. winick now has more. good morning, t.j. >> reporter: good morning, rob and vinita. according to a mine safety expert it is no understatement to call the survival of all of the trapped miners up to this point miraculous. this was the reaction in chile when the families and friends of 33 trapped miners were told their loved ones had survived a mine collapse and 17 days deep underground. >> absolutely a blessing. i mean, it is amazing that they've survived this long. >> reporter: on sunday, rescuers
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were able to lower a small device down to the trapped men with a small video camera attached. the images captured are dark and difficult to make out but officials did identify 19-year-old jimmy sanchez, the youngest of the trapped miners. also retrieved, a note that reads "all 33 of us are fine in the shelter." >> in this instance, they survived the initial days they were trapped, they made contact with the outside, which is important for their own mental state. and that drive will keep them going. >> reporter: the instability of the surrounding rock means it will be at least two to four months before the miners can actually be rescued. >> it will take a couple of months at least because we have to drill over 700 meters of rock. and that will take some time. >> reporter: officials can get food and water to the trapped miners through one of the holes that's already been drilled. the challenge now, constructing a tunnel wide enough to get the men out safely. rob and vinita? some offshore oil drilling
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could begin again before the end of november. the administration's top regulator says some kinds of rigs may present fewer risks than others. a ban was imposed after the deadly oil rig explosion in the gulf in april so that new safeguards could be developed. oil companies and some government leaders in the gulf region say the ban is crippling the economy. fda officials have completed their preliminary investigation of that widespread egg recall. they say they believe the two iowa farms already under investigation are the only egg producers linked to the big salmonella scare. they also say no more eggs should be recalled. consumer advocates though want congress to give food regulators more power. a house committee has already launched an investigation. two members of an oregon high school football team struck with an unuual isor couow b fro hospital. ten others have already been released. the players all had compression syndrome, which can be triggered by strenuous exercise and
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dehydration, but also by taking supplements. blood test results will be available today or tomorrow. police in the philippines are under fire this morning for the way they handled a fata stanff. eight hostages were killed at the end of a day-long siege. but there were earlier signs the uld ben peacefully nick rep >> reporter: the drama played out live on national television in the afternoon. children and the elderly were released. but as night fell, negotiations failed. somehow, the bus driver escaped. but 15 chinese tourists remained. the hostage-taker, a former policeman, armed with an m-16 assault rifle, demanding his old job back. police commandos surrounded the bus. they tried and failed numerous times to get inside. eventually, they made it. only to be pushed back by gunfire. after a 12-hour standoff and another burst of gunfire -- they stormed the vehicle. distraught survivors pulled to safety. a body hung from the door, apparently the hostage-taker
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shot dead by police. nick watt, abc news, london. former agriculture department official shirley sherrod could have a new job by the end of the day. sherrod was forced to resign last month after a blogger posted an edited videotape of a speech she gave that portrayed her as a racist. she got an apology and an offer of another job within the usda. sherrod today will meet with ag secretary tom vilsack about that still-pending job offer. >> a chestnut tree that cheered anne frank as she and her family hid from the nazis in amsterdam has been destroyed by a storm. the 150-year-old tree was already attacked by fungus and moss. a steel support built around it was also overcome by the storm. frank said she could see just the sky and this tree from her attic hideaway. frank wrote, "while this lasts i can't be unhappy." in poland they are cleaning up after a freak hailstorm that also triggered flash floods. some hailstones were the size of baseballs and fell with such
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force they broke windows. fierce winds toppled hundreds of trees. three people were injured after a tree fell on their car. the second hurricane of the year is churning in the atlantic. danielle is packing winds of 85 miles an hour. it's expected to strengthen the next few days. the hurricane is forecast to pass east of bermuda over the weekend. however, there is little risk of danielle actually making landfall. now the rest of your tuesday forecast. cool and wet along much of the east coast. up to 10 degrees cooler than normal from washington, d.c. to new england. showers in the middle of the country from oklahoma city up to the twin cities. thunderstorms in the southwest. >> i gave it to you. it's catching this morning. the west heats up with 112 in phoenix. 102 in sacramento. 91 in portland. a mild 74 in fargo. 78 in omaha. 81 in detroit.
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70s from boston to baltimore. 91 in atlanta. everyone knows it takes two to tango. so two by two, they're kicking up their heels in the birthplace of the popular dance. >> 400 couples from argentina and worldwide are competing in this year's tango championship in buenos aires. tens of thousands have descended on the city to watch. >> winners will be selected in two categories. the classic salon tango and the less traditional stage tango. the final dance-off is set for next week. if i was better on my feet i'd ask you to dance right now. >> trust me, you don't want to. we'll be right back with more "world news now."mited mobility. / a month ago thi man wasn't even able to get / around his house. these people chose freedom over restrictions. independence over limitations. they chose mobility. they chosehe scooter store. and this is the team of mobility experts who made it all happen. ii great news, you've been approved for payment. dr. cruz, i'm calling on behalf ofmarie stanford. and they can make it happen for you.
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because making you mobile is our mission. we'llwork wit your doctor. we'll work with medicare and lçur private insurance. we'll even service your scooter anywhere in the country. call the sco÷"er store today. find out what great lengthsthe scooter store / will go to fo you. / improve lçur m if you fight to sleep in the middle of the night why go one more round ? you don't need a rematch but a rethink. with lunesta. lunesta is thought to interact with gaba receptors associated with sleep. lunesta helps you get the restful sleep you need. lunesta has some risk of dependency. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembering it the next day
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banks try to cover the bottom line. >> reporter: the new numbers show the average interest rate on credit cards now stands at 14.7%. that's the highest since 2001. how did this happen? even with these new protections? banks are charging higher rates for customers now signing up for credit. and for existing customers, they were already hiking rates before these new protections could take effect. >> higher introductory rates. higher and new fees. >> doesn't make any sense when we have these new rules that are supposed to protect us. >> reporter: his answer, he simply pointed out what the head of jpmorgan chase said himself. >> jamie diamond from chase said, if you run a restaurant and you can't charge for the soda, the burgers are going to get a lot more expensive. >> reporter: in other words, making up for lost profits elsewhere. the head of chase used that burger analogy after reporting nearly $5 billion in profits in the last quarter alone. and we wondered if the banks are making that kind of money, why do they need to raise rates at
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all? a lot of folks are looking at these numbers and saying, the banks have simply found a way around these new rules. >> no, no, the banks are responding to the new rules. >> reporter: the banking lobbyists who fight for the banks in washington told us this is not about profits. so if it's not about making money, why hike the rates? >> well, we have to cover the costs. you have to cover the operating costs. >> reporter: operating costs and delinquent accounts, they say. customers told us they've had it. charging less and paying balances more quickly. >> every time i pay in full. so they don't charge me like extra fees. >> you don't take a chance? >> i'm extra careful compared to where i was. >> paying the balance off on time? >> yep, every month in full. >> reporter: you heard the banks blame in part delinquent accounts. but in fact, the largest banks in this country have recently
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reported delinquent accounts are at their lowest point all year and that americans have reduced their credit cad ac y davidnew y card charges, now it has to be a proportional late fee for what you charge. in other words, if you owe $20 they can't charge you more than $20. before the average was something like $39, now it's proportional. >> thakes e. some other highlights here. you can opt out if there are major changes to your credit card account. no one under 21 can get one unless an adult co-signs. you have longer to pay your monthly billllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
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analysts predict by the end of next year, half of all americans will be using a smartphone. that means there's always big demand for cutting-edge apps. abc news tech contributor andrea smith discovered some worthwhile apps to help out travelers. good morning. thank you as always for being here. we appreciate it. the first app you're going to talk about, kayak is a great way to keep your trips organized.
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>> it is. kayak is a great way because a lot of people use the website to build their trips and plan their trips. so now you can use it on your mobile phone. it's available on iphone, android and blackberry, which is really great because not many apps are. this is on the droid-x on the android platform. you can do the same thing as on the website, search for flights, search for hotels. basically if you're on the road and you need to change a plan, you still can have that same great information that kayak gives you mobile. >> and keeps it very convenient, very easy, one touch and you're there. >> exactly. >> this next one is trip-it. >> this is like the granddaddy of trip management. people who travel a lot love this because basically what happens is when you plan a trip, they send confirmation numbers. you e-mail them to trip-it and it parses all that information and puts it into one cohesive
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form where you can bring it up on your mobile phone. again, this is for all three platforms. right here, i have no trips. i'm not going anywhere. if you had trips it would tell you so on the road you could check that. >> it organizes your trips for you, which is a great way. whether you booked it at whatever site, you can all kind of go through that. >> exactly. >> this is cool, gate guru. >> when you get there and you've got some time to kill in the airport, go to gate guru. so you just put in the airport that you're at, and whatever terminal or if you think you're going to be stopping over there, and if you need to shop, pick up a gift for somebody, or if you're looking for a particular restaurant, all you do is plug it in here and search and it gives you a listing of everything that's going to be at that gate when you arrive. >> no matter what concourse you're at, you know where to shop, where to eat, all that good stuff. >> exactly. >> makes the layover easier, that's for sure. this next app is great for folks
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who have trouble getting around, just like me, keeping yourself straight. >> exact what i ls i$ a one what i love is you don't need a separate gps unit in your car. this will go right on your iphone and it will run in the background so you can still use your phone, accept calls, and do everything else that you need to do while it's running and it will speak voice navigation to you as you're driving. >> turns your iphone into a full-fledged gps. >> everything that tom tom does. >> this next app is wonderf for those of us who have lost your canor >> you forgetked your car sometimes. there's something calle finder and it's great. you hold it up to the phone and it takes your gps picture and it says, i'm parked here. andit aif ya rmetecan tell it how long and it will remind you when to go and feed the meter. >> avoid those tickets. >> avoid those tickets. when you're done you save it. when you want to go back it leads you right back to your
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car. >> we all could use that at one time or another for sure. and of course, it's summertime, a lot of folks taking road trips. this is a perfect way to kind of keep the kids busy for all those hours in the car. >> absolutely. they're games that you can play on your iphone. i know a lot of parents hand over that iphone to their kids. this is road trip bingo. it's got music that plays along that you can turn on or off if it's driving you nuts. basically what happens is your child has to hit the things that they see along the road. whether it's a street sign or a car or a horse. once they fill in all of them, it's bingo. then they shake it and they get a new form to come up here. >> there are lots of games like this built for road trips? >> there are. this is a 99 cent app for iphone only. the thing is there's so many of them.
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they're very affordable. they're 99 cents. there's so many people who are making these little games that you can just try out. they're really not a lot of money. there's so many apps out there that are really worth going out and trying. >> okay, mom and dad, a little peace and quiet in the car > >> fr bwe
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finally this half hour, going back to school in style. by the looks of a brand new school in southern california, you'd never know the state was going through an economic crisis. >> get this, the new school cost $578 million. it's the most expensive public school ever. david wright reports. >> reporter: the robert f. kennedy community school boasts an ornate auditorium, fine art murals, and a faculty dining room that the superintendent says is better than most restaurants. cost of construction, $250,000 per pupil. more expensive than the birds
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nest stadium built for last summer's olympics in beijing. it is the most expensive public school ever built in this country. price tag, $578 million. but some say it's a luxury the los angeles school district cannot afford. >> welcome to the alice in wonderland world of education politics in los angeles. where up is down, down is up, and none of these decisions have anything to do with kids. >> reporter: the district has a $640 million budget shortfall. they've laid off 3,000 teachers. l.a. unified is one of the lowest-performing school districts in america. >> so why not take the money that was spent there and spend it on education? >> illegal. illegal. >> reporter: district officials say the money for school construction comes from voter-approved bonds. totally separate from what's budgeted for textbooks and teachers. >> i sense that you are a little embarrassed about the price tag of this thing. >> yes. it bothers me. >> reporter: l.a.'s not alone. in new york city, a $235 million school. in new brunswick, new jersey, $185 million for a high school.
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and newton, massachusetts, has a new $197 million high school. >> whether you build a taj mahal or whether you're teaching kids in a broom closet, make sure that you have a kids-first agenda. >> reporter: the site of l.a.'s new school has historic significance. it's the site of the old ambassador hotel where robert kennedy was shot. future generations may appreciate the school, now built there in his name. but the taxpayers now are finding it tough to justify. david wright, abc news, los angeles. >> adding to the price tag of this school, the fine art murals, the marble memorial, they have a manicured public park, state of the art swimming pool, and preservation of certain pieces of the original hotel there as well. >> in terms of who it serves the website says it's k-12, 4,200 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